updated 03:10 pm EST, Tue December 14, 2010

OnLive cloud gaming patent approved after 8 years

A patent filed by OnLive, the company behind approved at the US Patent Office. Called 'Apparatus and method for wireless video gaming,' or Patent 7,849,491, it describes a remote server for processing the game with a MicroConsole at the user's home to interface with the TV and controllers. Filed back in December of 2002, the patent reveals that the game card used in the system has a data rate of at least 200Mbps.

At the same time, the latency of the setup is said to be between 5ms and 80ms in order to allow for what is described as a "high twitch-action video game." The service is currently available on Windows-based PCs, Macs, TVs and the iPad as of December. A version for Android is currently in beta.

When it launched in June, OnLine offered 23 games but has expanded to include both more big titles, classics and independents. [viaSlashGear]